Momoko's Apartment, El Paso, Texas, Saturday

[weldedtomyspine]

Saturday morning cartoons started way too early. Milagro "wasn't into that kiddy stuff", but she was still up early enough to watch some shows from that time block. Which meant she was up before Jaime. Which meant that there was no way he could sneak out of the house without her noticing that something really weird had happened over night.

He knew because he'd tried.

Unfortunately, girl!him was shorter than boy!him. And had a different center of gravity. And that had been enough to cause him (her?) to misjudge how easy it would be to step over the pile Milagro's stuff had made on the floor when she tossed it there after school on Friday, and falling down was loud enough to hear even over the corny-joke-and-laughter that signaled the end of whatever episode Milagro was watching.

Once she'd finally stopped laughing, Jaime had managed to swear her to secrecy, but she'd managed to extract some pretty extravagant promises for it. It would be worth the price if she didn't mention this whole episode to anyone, though.

With Milagro's silence purchased, all that was left to do was to dash off a quick note to his (her?) mother that he (she?, ugh, this was confusing) was heading over to Momoko's for the weekend to deal with some weirdness that had arisen, possibly connected to Fandom.

Not too much later there was a knock on the door of Momoko's apartment, and the person doing the knocking wore baggy pants, a shirt that was clearly too large (neither of which managed to conceal that said person was female), and an expression that practically dared anyone to laugh. Or even smile in amusement.

[Available for calls or texts or whatever, if people like.]

Comments

[weldedtomyspine]

"In some ways I think I do feel like... someone else? Someone who's... not quite me. Like, someone I could have been, but wasn't."

Which sounded really weird.

[heromaniac]

"Oh. I never thought of it that way. It's always felt like me, just looking different. Maybe because of Blossom." Momoko squeezed his hand. "Is there anything I can do to help?"

[weldedtomyspine]

"But Blossom's part of you, right? That doesn't seem like the same thing to me..."

[heromaniac]

"She is now, but not when I first started. Although I didn't really think about it," she admitted, "Because I suddenly had powers and villains to fight. My dream come true, you know. If I had to be someone else to do it, I didn't mind."

She thought for a moment. "I don't think I even realized I was different at first. I remember thinking people would recognize me if I got too close, even though I had people ask who I was. I stayed away from my family just in case, for example. Had to let the others rescue Kuriko when she got involved in things."

Because of course, her little sister would get into trouble, duh.

[weldedtomyspine]

Jaime thought about that. "You feel like Blossom is someone else? Not just... you looking different?"

[heromaniac]

"More like, Blossom is another me? A better me? Different, I mean. There's lots of things she can do that I can't... Even after all these years of working on getting myself to be a better hero. But everything I can do she can."

She shrugged. "It's not something I mind? Like I said, it even took a while to realize it."

[weldedtomyspine]

"Huh. I guess I never thought of it that way?"

[heromaniac]

"You're on the outside. And your transformation doesn't change you; it's a costume." Momoko stopped fiddling with their hands and just held them. "Is how you feel now anything like how you felt when you first got the scarab? You know. You but not you?"

[weldedtomyspine]

"Not really. That was something being added, not being totally different? I think?"

[heromaniac]

"Hmm. That sounds weirder, sorry."

[weldedtomyspine]

"Weirder? How so?"

[heromaniac]

"Because you have something added and yet you don't feel like you're not you?"

[weldedtomyspine]

"Well... the something added isn't me, you know?" Jaime shrugged. "Khaji'Da is Khaji'Da."

[heromaniac]

Momoko considered that. Her White Light wasn't alive, so she didn't have the same distinction. Hmm.

"So who's Blue Beetle?"

[weldedtomyspine]

"I suppose it's both of us? I mean, mostly me. I'm driving, if that makes sense, but he's right there, and part of it."

[heromaniac]

"And that doesn't feel weirder than this? It totally sounds like it." Since he wasn't in a mecha, the idea of piloting your own body was odd to her.

[weldedtomyspine]

"How is that weird?" Jaime asked. "All sorts of things involve two different people, don't they? Like... being boyfriend and girlfriend, you can't just do that alone. So it's not weird that you need two people. But if you woke up one day and your girlfriend were someone different... that would be weird!"

[heromaniac]

"Waking up and being two people in one body is totally weirder! I mean, you're still you, right now; you just look different..."

Oh!

"Is Khaji' Da still the same?"

[weldedtomyspine]

"In some ways I don't feel like me, though. I mean..." She wasn't sure what she meant, actually.

"And, yeah. He doesn't really change much."

[heromaniac]

"I understand a little. But not why you're so upset that you don't want to be seen." She nestled closer. "Though thank you for coming here."

[weldedtomyspine]

"How would I even explain this?" Jaime asked. Then she let out a sigh. "Besides... I already put my family through enough. I don't want to make it any harder on them than it is already... Same with Paco and Brenda and everyone else."

[heromaniac]

"How do you explain any of it?" Momoko snorted lightly. "And see? You could have gone anywhere! Especially since you know I'm totally going to make you wear cute clothes and play with your hair all weekend."

[weldedtomyspine]

"Most of it is un-obvious enough to not need explaining," Jaime pointed out. "And exactly where else could I have gone?" She shrugged. "I mean, I guess I could have hopped over to Fandom or something..."

[heromaniac]

"You have other heroes here; you could go hang out with them. And there's the Titans headquarters? Other planets?"

Snuggling was going on now. It was... different, and Momoko wasn't sure she liked it, but she wasn't going to give Jaime any clue, if she could help it. Besides, it was still Jaime. "Of course I would have gotten mad and upset. Youd have a lot of apologizing to do."

[weldedtomyspine]

"Oh, yeah, because explaining this to the Titans is so much better than talking to my parents."